Baby Portrait Session

Eliza turned one last fall and became a New Arrival Collection graduate! We did this third and latest portrait session at the Lyndale Park Peace (Rock) Garden in Minneapolis, the very same place big sister Evelyn (a previous NAC graduate) had her one year portrait session. It was so fun to document them both at one year in the same spot. Parents Kate and Chad are originally wedding clients and stuck with me as their baby photographer - a true honor and one of my most favorite things: transforming from wedding to family photographer.

Because parents and older siblings are intertwined in the baby's life, we always (unless you prefer otherwise) incorporate the rest of the family into at least part of these first year sessions. Photographing everyone together is a given, and I also like to do all the breakdowns. In this case, sisters together, baby with each parent, big sister with each parent, and lots of the little one on her own, since it is her session, after all.

When doing one-parent with one-kid breakdowns, it can be fun and effective to make a game of it. Going for speed, I call out who's up and the other people are thinking about what they're going to do when it's their turn. For example, "Mom and Eliza are up. Dad and Evelyn, think about what you want to do!" Piggy back ride, hugs, sitting on shoulders, parent squatting down to kid's level, pick kid up and snuggling at parent's height, tossing kid into the air, holding them upside down, spinning, dancing... so many options. Then "Ok Dad and Evelyn are in." then "Swap kids - go go go!" and so on. This way we get portraits of everyone with everyone, the kids (when old enough) have a say in what they're doing, and everyone moves fast which amps up the energy.

For more of Eliza's adorableness, here are the two earlier sessions. Most recently was Eliza at 6 months in the Northeast Minneapolis studio, and earlier than that brand new Eliza's newborn portraits in her Minneapolis home.